Arts of Desolation (Bonus Track Version)

The Forsaken are another in the seemingly unending wave of talented death metal bands to come from Sweden. Their sound contains its fair share of references to that country's death metal elite — At the Gates, Dissection, Hypocrisy, etc. — mixed in with touches of Morbid Angel and Meshuggah (who are also, of course, from Sweden, just not a death metal band), as well as plenty of punishing blastbeats and some weird, discordant guitar harmonies akin to modern black metal bands such as Thorns or Grant Declaration-era Mayhem. This band is phenomenally tight and heavy, even by modern death metal's lofty standards, and the production here accentuates these qualities. The only slight complaint is that the songwriting isn't always quite on par with the musicianship. There are plenty of great riffs, but the Forsaken still have not learned how to consistently combine these riffs together into memorable songs as well as most of the bands listed above. That means that the album sounds great while you're listening to it, but not all the songs stick around in your head when it's done playing. Followers of latest in Swedish death metal will still want to check this out, though.